34 strikers have signed for Premier League giants West Ham United since the Gold and Sullivan takeover; will Krasnodar’s Fyodor Smolov be any different?
Fyodor Smolov is the very definition of a ‘late bloomer’.
The 28-year-old striker had only scored 15 goals in the first eight years of his professional career but, since moving to Krasnodar in 2015, has exploded into life. Now, Smolov is one of the most prolific players in Russian football and is the nation’s captain and talisman with just a few months to go until the World Cup kicks off on home soil.
A tall and intelligent striker with excellent technical ability, he has scored 50 goals in 66 league games for Krasnodar and 12 in 15 this season. Needless to say, he is in the form of his life right now.
So what better candidate to end this West Ham ‘striker curse’?
According to the Mail, West Ham failed with a bid for Smolov in January but are set to renew their interest in the £13 million-rated striker during the summer. And the 6ft 1ins goalscorer, who speaks fluent English, is keen on a move to London and could see a deal wrapped up even before the World Cup kicks off in mid-June.
But Smolov should be aware that he would be arriving at the London Stadium under scrutiny.
After all, since Davids Gold and Sullivan took over West Ham in 2010, the club has signed 34 strikers and not one has been a success. From the anonymous, Brian Montenegro, Mido, Marco Borriello, to the abysmal, Simone Zaza, Benni McCarthy, Modibo Maiga, the malaise has continued into this season.
Javier Hernandez looks like a shadow of the poacher who scored for fun at Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen while Jordan Hugill has played just 12 minutes since his January arrival from Preston.
The hope, however, will be that Smolov’s unrelenting goal-scoring prowess will finally put West Ham out of their misery.
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